Game apparatus.



3 W ST A R n P EA A OD APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911.

' Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

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NBNK .N w x a U ivIIEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. EMERSON, or PORTLAND, MAINE.

GAME APPARATUS.

To (ZZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnaanns H. EMER- sox. a citizen of the United States, residing at Poitland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have. invented new and useful 1m )r'ovements in Game Apparatus, of which tie following is a specification.

My invention relates to a game apparatus com risin a series of movable cards or blocits each bearing a letter of the alphabet and a chance controlled device operated to select a series of cards from which words are to be formed, the object being to find answers to questions from a number of let- 5 ters selected by the chance controlled device.

The invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referrin to the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan .view

of a device or apparatus vembodying my invention. FigLQis a longitudinal section of the same on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the chance controlled device with the up er wall or cover removed.

A indicates a board or support on which is mounted a chance coiitrolled device consisting of a box or receptacle B containing a number of difierently colored balls C.

so Said box is shown as having its top wall 6 and bottom wall b spaced a art so that the balls C will be free to roll a out in the box without riding upon or over each other.

I Projecting from each of the op osite side walls I) and b are wedge-shape blocks 6 which insure a thorou h mixin of the balls, when they are moved about by tilting or shaking the box, so as to reduce liability of repetition of a particular arrangement of the balls in successive operations of the device.

In the bottom wall 6' of the receptacle there is a pocket (Z adjacent the side wall I), and in said side wall adjacent said pocket there is a light opening at. As shown. the pocket d is adapted to receive three balls G, and opposite said pocket there is a sight opening (2 through which the balls in the pocket may be seen. The top wall of the box is preferably made of glass covered with paper or cloth, the latter being cut away to form the sight opening. Angularly arranged within the pocket d, is a mirror 11'' which reflects light from the opening (5 through the balls G to the sight openings (P. The balls are preferably made of different Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. July 8, 1911.

Patented Mar. 4,1913.

Serial No. 837,553.

colored glass or other transparent or translucent material so that the balls in the pocket (I will appear to be illuminated with their colors brilliantlv displayed. \Vithout the light opening i. would be difticult to quickly distinguish the colors, and while the balls would be illuminated to a degree without the mirror (1, the latteradds brilliance to the light which appears to come from the balls instead of through them.

\Vhen the box or receptacle is tilted in the proper direction three of the balls C will roll into the pocket (Z, and will be retained therein so long as the box is not tilted in a direction to dislodge them. Some of the balls are colored red, some blue and others white, so that in repeated or successive operations of the device different color combinations will be formed by the three balls which roll into the pocket (Z and which may be seen through the sight opening (Z The various color combinations which may be thus formed represent letters of the alphabet which are to be used to form words. Near the left hand margin of the board A is an index E, showing the color combination for each letter of the alphabet, this being indicated by red, white and blue dots representing the visible balls in the chance controlled device. As shown, white, blue and red designate the letter A. Blue, red and blue designates the letter B, and so through the alphabet, each color combination indicating or designating a different letter. I

The board A is provided with .26 card holders or pockets 7', each marked with a letter of the alphabet, and each containing a number of cards F bearing the letter which is stamped on the pocket or holder. The holder or pocket marked A contains a number of cards F bearing the letter A, the holder marked B contains a number of cards F bearing the letter B and so on throughout the entire series of pockets. The board A is also provided with grooves G into which cards F may be inserted, these grooves being formed by strips of wood or other material 9, secured to the board and having under-cut edges g which lap over and retain cards that may he slipped or slid between the strips as c early illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In using the device, the oerator faces the light so that the balls in t 1e chance de vice will be properly illuminated. The

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board A is tilted or moved in various directions to thoroughly mix the balls C in the box or receptacle B, and is then tilted to permit three of the ballsto roll in the ball pocket (Z. The color combination formed by these three illuminated balls will indicate a certain letter which is determined by the index E. A card bearing the indicated letter is removed from its pocket or holder f, and after 'a number of cards have been thus selected, the operator proceeds to form words from the letters on the selected card which may serve to answer a question previously asked by the operator.

It is to be understood that various changes in the details and in the general form of the apparatus may be made without departure from the main features of my invention.

Havin thus described my invention, what I c aim is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a board or sup ort, a chance controlled device mounte thereon consistin of a box or receptacle with a series of differently colored balls therein, one of the walls of said box I being rovided' with a pocket for receiving a fixet number of balls-less than the total number of balls within the receptacle, a

sight opening through one of the walls of the box opposite said pocket, a series of card holders mounted on said board each containing a-pluralit'y of movable cards bearing a letter of the alphabet, and an index show- Goptei of this patent may be obtained for ing color combinations that may beformed by the balls that may be seen through the sight opening of the chance controlled device,,each color combination of the index indicating a letter of the alphabet.

2. A chance controlled device comprising a box or rece )tacle containing a series of differently colored balls, one of the side walls of the receptacle being provided with a light opening, a pocket in the bottom wall adjacent said opening adapted to receive a fixed number of balls, and a sight opening in the top wall of the receptacle opposite said pocket.

3. A chance cont-rolled device comprising a box or receptacle containing a series of differently colored translucent balls, at light opening in one of the side walls of the receptacle, a pocket in the bottom wall of the receptacle adjacent said opening, adapted to receive a fixed number, of balls, a sight opening in the top wall of the receptacle o posits said pocket and a mirror angulary arranged 111 said pocket to refleet the light from said light opening to the sight opening for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. EMERSON.

Witnesses:

EDITH A. DILL, EDNA A. SEWALL.

five cents each, b'y addressing the Commissioner of Eaten",

Washington, D. O. 

